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Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Lord, Teach Us To Pray! Part 13

Prayers of Praise continued...

Psalm 91:7-11, “A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look, and see the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your habitation, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.”

In this scripture passage alone, we find two other reasons for which to pray prayers of praise to God.

The first reason to pray prayers of praise that we discover in this scripture passage is the omnipotence of our God. Circumstance or level of difficulty is irrelevant to God. To Him who spoke the world into being, nothing is impossible or out of reach.

A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you. We are not talking about a skirmish here; we are not talking about a small tremor, or a small scale natural disaster. In order to see a thousand fall to your side, and ten thousand to your right, whatever the context, it is something major, and devastating. Yet through it all, God is able to protect His beloved, and it shall not come near them. Because we have made the Lord our habitation, no evil shall befall us, no matter the degree or severity of it.

The second reason to pray prayers of praise that we discover in this scripture passage are the promises of God toward His beloved.

God’s promises are not as men’s promises. God keeps His word regardless of circumstance or situation. God promised that no evil would befall us, nor would any plague come near our dwelling, and due to His omnipotence we know that He is able to keep His promise toward us.

The only distinction God makes in regards to mankind is between the righteous and the wicked. Other than these, He is no respecter of persons, whether it be concerning nationality, gender, education, intelligence, or net worth. He looks upon the earth, and all He sees are those who have received Him, and made Him their habitation, and those who reject, mock, and deny Him.

To those who have received Him, to those who have been sanctified and set apart, to those whom He calls His beloved, God has made certain promises, and these are promises that He keeps from generation to generation. With our eyes, we shall look and behold the reward of the wicked, but because He is our God, because He is our King, because He is our Lord, we will not be partakers of their reward.

This knowledge ought to also inspire us to bring prayers of praise unto God for His justice, and His righteous judgment. He sees all things, He knows all things, and judges all things in righteousness.

Though men might be influenced, though men might have vested interests, though men might show favor to the guilty and condemn the innocent, God’s judgments are always just.

Luke 12:6-7, “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

Yet another reason to bring prayers of praise before God is His omniscience. God knows us better than we know ourselves. Have you ever counted the hairs on your head? God has! Not just once or twice, but every hair is numbered, even when we happen to lose a few down the shower drain every morning. God keeps a running tally of the hairs of our head. That amazes me.

If He knows the number of hairs on our head, if He knows something as insignificant as all that, surely He knows when we are hurting, when we are sad, when we are downtrodden, He knows every circumstance, every valley, ever hardship, and He is always near, always comforting, always encouraging, always strengthening, and even carrying us when we can no longer walk on our own.

The omniscience of God also extends beyond the physical. Not only does He number the hairs on our heads, He also knows our thoughts, our intentions, and the inward motivations of our heart. Truly nothing is hid from God, no matter how much men might try.

Jeremiah 23:23-24, “Am I a God near at hand,’ says the Lord, ‘and not a God afar off? Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him?’ says the Lord; ‘Do I not fill heaven and earth?’ says the Lord.”

As a sidebar, knowing that God knows all things, I am still befuddled by those who would live lives of pretense when it comes to sanctification. Perhaps it is because we doubt God’s omniscience that so many today act, speak, and dress a certain way in the house of God, then a wholly different way when out in the world, or among those of the world. God’s knowledge of us is not limited to the times when we are in church, or the times when we gather in fellowship. God’s knowledge is perpetual, ongoing, and complete. As such, we must live lives worthy of the name Jesus in perpetuity, and not only when we are among the brethren.

Much shame has been brought to the house of God because those claiming to be His children resort to acting and speaking as those of the world when among those of the world. Likewise, those of the world are quick to point out the inconsistency, the duplicity of such actions being as stumbling blocks for them in regards to anything having to do with Christianity.

Praise Him for His omniscience, for taking the time to know you down to the cellular level, down to every fiber of your being, and for continually molding you into a more perfect image of His Son Jesus Christ.